Howard Stern is a frequent presence at the New York Knicks game, but the shock jock isn’t exactly feeling the love from the players. In an awkward rant on a recent episode of his show, Stern seemed genuinely hurt that NBA players will come up and hug people seated next to him, but never him. As if the conversation wasn’t uncomfortable enough, Stern immediately made it racial.
“I have courtside, they put me courtside and the Black players won’t come over and say hello to me,” Stern said. “But they go over to Spike Lee.”
After co-host Robin Quivers asked if the players really “don’t acknowledge you at all,” Stern doubled down.
Via Mediaite:
“No. I’ll be sitting next to Tracy Morgan or Chris Rock. You know, they seat you where they seat you. And a lot of times when I’m there, I’m next to Tracy Morgan, who is so funny. And he’s sitting there and like, couple of the players will come over. They like give him that bro shake and stuff. And I’m like — these guys should hug me too. I mean, what am I? I grew up in a Black neighborhood, you know what I mean? I mean they should know that. But I get ignored,” Stern said.
The shock jock revealed that white and Black referees will come up to him all the time, but never the players, which Stern chalked up to being a “white guy.”
“Is everything racial now?” Stern wondered before hoping that’s the case. “Maybe they don’t like me. I don’t know. I’d like to think it’s a white thing, not my personality. I hope it’s racial. That’s all.”
(Via Mediaite)